People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1567 May th, Yi, Deposed Emperor

May 15th.

Early morning, Dai Wang Mansion.

The candles were blown out and the floor was swept clean.

Everyone worked efficiently, as if they were afraid that they would be killed if they were not careful.

Pei walked out of the inner room with a bowl of medicine in her hand and a serious expression on her face. When she saw Liu Jinyu suddenly appear at the door, she couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"Didn't Aunt Wang go to the palace? How come she came back so soon?" Pei put down the medicine bowl, walked quickly to Liu Jinyu, and looked at her in disbelief.

"It's just mourning for the late emperor. Nothing unexpected." Liu Jinyu stood in the room, looked towards the inner room, and asked, "Is the Prince of Linzi okay?"

"The high fever is still there, but the coughing has stopped." Pei nodded, then glanced outside the room and asked in a low voice, "What's going on in the palace?"

"I'm not sure. The imperial court should be in session now."

After a short pause, Liu Jinyu said, "Zhao'er is too young to attend the grand court, so he came back. However, the grand court has complicated etiquette, so it should have just begun now."

Pei inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked in a low voice: "Yangpin, is she really..."

Liu Jinyu reached out to stop Pei, shook his head, and said, "We know nothing about what's going on in the palace, and we don't want to know. Now the Prince of Linzi happens to be ill, so it's a good time for him to rest at home. It's best not to go anywhere these days, and then wait quietly for the coffin of the late emperor to return to Chang'an. If..."

"What's the matter?" Pei asked subconsciously.

"Nothing. If we can return to Chang'an, we will stay at the Dai Wang Mansion in Chang'an." Liu Jinyu shook his head and said, "If you and I are not on the list of people going back to Chang'an this time, we will just stay at home in the future and don't go out. We should stock up enough herbs and food at home."

Pei paused slightly and looked at Liu Jinyu in disbelief. Has that time come?
"Okay, I should go back." Liu Jinyu sighed softly, turned around and walked out of the house.

"See you off, Aunt Wang." Pei walked quickly to the door and watched Liu Jinyu leave in the carriage.

Pei's face was solemn, with clear fear in it.

She didn't expect that things would happen so quickly.

Three months had passed since Li Xuan last gave her his final explanation.

Everything happened so suddenly.

First, the Yang family was blocked by the Jinwu Guards, and then news of the witchcraft curse spread from the palace.

The disaster of witchcraft.

Just hearing these words gives me chills.

Pei couldn't help but feel lucky that she didn't go to the palace yesterday. Otherwise, she would be the one implicated like Xiang Wangfei...

Pei was suddenly stunned. She turned slowly and looked towards the inner room.

Li Guangren still had a fever, but the only thing to be thankful for was that his cough had gotten better.

but……

Pei had a feeling that Li Guangren's illness was not caused by a cold, but was most likely intentional, in order to help her avoid the witchcraft disaster of yesterday.

Of course Pei could guess who this person was.

She couldn't help but look towards the northwest.

Could it be that he was in the Western Regions, controlling everything as if he were in Luoyang?

Know everything.

If that’s the case, then what about the things happening in the palace?
Pei turned gently and looked towards the direction of the palace.

……

In the Qianyang Palace, Li Xian sat on the throne and all the ministers bowed their heads.

The pearl curtain swayed gently, and Empress Wu's cold gaze fell on the ministers in the hall.

Pei Yan stood up, stood on the left, and respectfully narrated the various arrangements and preparations for the return of the late emperor's coffin to Chang'an.

Pei Yan, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, was appointed as the chief manager of the transportation of spiritual affairs, in charge of all internal and external affairs.

Wang Jishan, the Minister of Dali Temple, was appointed as the Inspector General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard to command the troops stationed inside and outside the city and to protect the safety of the brigade.

After all the arrangements were made, everyone obeyed the orders solemnly.

But more people were silent, waiting for the handling of Gaopin's witchcraft incident yesterday.

Various news about this matter had already been reported in the palace yesterday, but the emperor needed to explain to the court and the public what was true and what was false, and how he planned to deal with it.

Witchcraft incidents have never been a simple matter, and have always involved huge internal and external involvements.

If we are not careful, countless heads will fall to the ground and blood will flow like a river.

Therefore, for the court officials, what they need to know is not the inside story of the matter. What they hope is that the emperor can deal with and end this matter quickly to avoid panic among the people and corpses everywhere.

Although there are many things to do in the government, there will always be a time when they are all dealt with.

For a moment, all the ministers' eyes fell on Li Xian.

At this time, even the Imperial Censor in the palace did not care about the court rules and etiquette, and looked at the emperor with a solemn expression.

Li Xian looked at the ministers calmly, and finally said: "I'm sure you all have heard about what happened in the palace yesterday, and you are all worried, but today I can tell you that everything will be revealed at the beginning, and the story will stop in the inner court. There is no need to worry about being implicated outside."

The ministers subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The Hongnong Yang family is one of the most powerful families in the world. If we really look at the entire hall in detail, nearly a quarter of the people are related to the Hongnong Yang family.

Both Empress Wu and the Emperor entered the Pass with the Yang family of Hongnong.

Now, the emperor himself said that he would not be implicated, and all the ministers could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Xian turned sideways to look at Pei Yan and said, "Mr. Pei, please announce the imperial edict." "Yes!" Pei Yan bowed, glanced behind the pearl curtain, then walked forward, took the imperial edict from Fan Yunxian's hand, and turned to the ministers.

Opening the imperial edict, Pei Yan said loudly: "In the first year of the Sisheng era, on the 5th day of the 5th month, on the 15th day of the 5th month, the emperor said:

Yu Xi!

I have inherited the legacy of the Five Sages and am the ruler of all nations. How dare I sacrifice the public interest for personal love and forget my great cause?

The noble concubine Yang is not blessed by heaven. She is flashy but not practical. She has the heart of a tiger or a wolf in her superiors, and behaves like an eagle or a hawk when governing her subordinates.

If one sees that he has no potential to be a general and has committed a crime that can be concealed, how can he respectfully inherit the ancestral temple and hold a high position under the world?
He can be demoted to a commoner and placed in a separate courtyard.

His father and brother were dismissed from office and exiled to foreign states, but no one else was held responsible.

Punishing one's family is a shame to the former king.

For the sake of national interests, I have no choice.

Announce it to the world and let everyone know.

Admire this! "

The ministers bowed solemnly and said, "We accept your order. May Your Majesty live forever."

Li Xian raised his hand slightly and said, "Everyone, please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The ministers stood up.

Li Xian sat on the throne, listening to the calm breathing behind him, feeling slightly confused.

There is no doubt that what happened yesterday was instigated by my mother. Logically speaking, this matter should not be resolved so easily.

But why can't I speak out until now?

Recovering his mind, Li Xian continued, "The affairs of the harem will no longer be interrogated by the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, and the Censorate. This is the end of it. All files on the matter will be kept secret in the Ministry of Secretariat."

"I obey your order." Wei Xuanzhen stood up and bowed solemnly.

Li Xian nodded, and Wei Xuanzhen bowed and returned to class.

Li Xian continued: "Everything will be arranged as before, and we will return to Chang'an..."

"Bang bang bang..." A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from the side. Li Xian turned around in surprise and saw Qiu Huan walking quickly through the side door.

Qiu Huan didn't even look at the emperor or salute him. He just walked straight to Empress Wu's side and whispered a few words in her ear.

The voice was so low that even Li Xian couldn't hear it.

"How dare you." An angry shout suddenly came from the hall and echoed throughout the Qianyang Hall.

The officials were shocked and looked up in surprise. They saw Zhang Renyuan, the Imperial Censor, standing up and pointing at Qiu Huan with a tablet in his hand, saying, "You old slave, now is the time for the Emperor to hold court. All officials are present and the gods and ghosts are afraid. You, a dog slave, entered the palace without permission and whispered to the Emperor and Empress. You really deserve to be killed."

All the ministers immediately raised their heads and looked at Qiu Huan with cold eyes.

Qiu Huansir was indeed a close confidant of Empress Wu, but this was the previous dynasty.

Although the ancient rule that the harem should not interfere in government affairs had long been broken by Empress Wu, the eunuchs in the harem were not informed of the affairs of the court when entering the palace, and they did not tell the emperor when they had something to say, but instead whispered to the empress dowager. This was a great violation of the court system.

Zhang Renyuan stood up as the Palace Censor to accuse him, and all the officials immediately looked at Qiu Huan coldly.

If Empress Wu cannot come up with a suitable excuse, the ministers will strongly demand that the emperor execute the enemy eunuch.

Li Xian gently turned sideways. At this time, the beaded curtain swayed, and Empress Wu spoke indifferently: "It was the harem. Concubine Yang just spoke. She admitted that the witchcraft curse was done by her, and she was also instructed by someone."

Li Xian's eyes suddenly turned gloomy.

He knew yesterday that his mother was secretly manipulating everything in this matter, but he had no idea what her plans were.

But now, her trick has come.

Li Xian calmed down completely. He nodded and said, "It's a good thing that Concubine Yang is willing to speak up, but since there is still a follow-up to this matter, it would be inappropriate to continue the interrogation in the harem. In this case, why not send her to the Zongzheng Temple and let the Zongzheng Temple, the Dali Temple and the Censorate try her. Pei Qing, what do you think?"

"Yes!" Pei Yan stepped out of the train and bowed solemnly.

Empress Wu's eyes fell on Pei Yan. Pei Yan was now standing with the emperor. The two of them joined forces and had great say.

Empress Wu raised her head calmly.

Shang Shu Zuo Cheng and Zhongshan Menxia Sanpin Guo Daiju stood up and said, "Since Yangpin has already spoken, then we can just follow Yangpin's confession. Why do we need to have the Zongzheng Temple, Dali Temple and Yushitai to conduct a joint trial?"

Yao Lingzhang, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, stood up and responded bluntly, "Who knows if it was obtained through torture? If there is a false accusation, what should be done? Therefore, even if there is something to say, it needs to be examined by the three courts. Does Prime Minister Guo really want to see heads rolling in this hall?"

"We don't even know who will be implicated yet, so how can we talk about the countless deaths in the palace?" Guo Daiju looked at Yao Lingzhang with a sneer.

"Okay, you don't have to argue anymore." Li Xian said, waving his hand and saying, "I, my mother, and Prime Minister Pei have already reached a conclusion on this matter. This matter will not involve the previous dynasty in any way. In this case, come and take Concubine Yang to the palace."

"Wait a moment." Empress Wu suddenly spoke up, looking at Li Xian in a low voice and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is better to call Concubine Yang up now to listen in person, so as to avoid the trouble of having to depose this and that in the future."

Li Xian did not hesitate and shook his head directly, saying, "The court rules have regulations. The Grand Hall is for court meetings, not for trials. If there is something, the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, the Zongzheng Temple, and the Censorate can be summoned to the palace to investigate the case, instead of rashly trying the case in the Qianyang Hall now. This is a place for discussing military and national affairs."

"Haven't we finished discussing the military and national affairs?" Empress Wu raised her head and said in a cold tone, "Now it's just right to discuss the matter of Concubine Yang. The matter of witchcraft has always been of great importance. Wouldn't it be better to finish discussing it all at once? Your Majesty, what are you afraid of? What are you feeling guilty about?"

"Afraid, guilty?" Li Xian frowned and looked at Empress Wu, and said in a cold voice: "Why should I be afraid and guilty?"

"If Your Majesty is not afraid and does not feel guilty, why don't you let Concubine Yang enter the palace?" Empress Wu asked directly, and then said: "Since Your Majesty is not afraid and does not feel guilty, then come..."

"Mother!" Li Xian interrupted Empress Wu and said bluntly, "Why should I be afraid or guilty? I am just upholding the rules of the court. After all, someone else in the harem has been involved in the matter of Concubine Yang. What if someone promised something or agreed to something, and she framed me?"

All the ministers understood immediately that Empress Wu had suddenly launched an attack today, and the emperor immediately became worried that she was framing him.

Is the relationship between mother and son like this till now?
Empress Wu turned sideways and looked at Pei Yan who was standing beside her and said, "Pei Yan, you are the regent, tell me what we should do about this matter."

Pei Yan: “?”

(End of this chapter)